General Philip Breedlove, NATO's supreme allied commander Europe, said Monday that the Ukraine- Russia border was wide open and Russian troops were still training and equipping pro- Russian separatists.
General Breedlove made the comment after elections in eastern Ukraine Sunday where pro- Russian separatists voted for a new leader.
However, Ukraine and Western leaders have denounced the elections saying that the rebels must abide by the ceasefire agreement and hold local elections under Ukrainian law in December.
During a visit to Pentagon General Breedlove said that there were about 250 to 300 Russian troops inside eastern Ukraine providing training to the pro- Russian rebels and also equipping them.
"Hybrid war is what we are coming to call what Russia has done clearly in Crimea and in eastern Ukraine," Breedlove said, adding, "I'm concerned that the conditions are there that could create a frozen conflict," , reports the Associated Press.
He said that seven Russian battalions were stationed near the Russian border with Ukraine. According to him Russia was trying to push the border westward and maybe use Crimea as a base to extend its war efforts.
"We have an international border. That is the border between Russia and Ukraine. That should be the border that we're trying to close, the border that we're trying to enforce," Breedlove said.
"The focus seems to be now on the control of this line of demarcation and patrolling the line of demarcation," he said, reports Reuters.
General Breedlove also said that since the conflict was affecting NATO and its European allies, he was not in favor of reducing the size of the U.S. forces in Europe.
Meanwhile, Germany has criticized Russia's support for the elections conducted by the pro- Russian rebels on Sunday.
Steffen Seibert, spokesman of Chancellor Angela Merkel, said that since the elections were not conducted as per the Ukrainian law, they do not have any legal bearing. This will also worsen the crisis, he said, reports The Associated Press.
